While most people are likely meeting or exceeding their protein requirements, dietitians previously told Fortune, it is important to ensure your diet is meeting your body’s changing needs as you age.
Here’s expert advice on how much protein you need at every stage of life.
Protein is a macronutrient made up of 20 amino acids, with nine essential amino acids that we can only get from our diet. It’s a vital structural component of our cells, tissues, hormones, and enzymes, and numerous other bodily functions. A continual supply of amino acids through the protein we eat is crucial for cell and tissue growth and repair.
Getting enough protein is especially important for children, who are in a vital stage of growth, and protein acts as the building block for cells of all organ systems. It’s also critical for older adults, who need more protein to help counter the loss of muscle and bone mass.
Here is how much protein children should eat each day:
For adults over 19:
For older adults, Sharp encourages increasing protein intake, especially since it becomes more difficult to maintain muscle and bone mass as you age. So adults over 60 could go as high as 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day, Sharp previously told Fortune.
While it’s important to make sure you’re hitting your protein needs at every stage of life, dietitians think the obsession with high protein has gone too far—especially on social media.
“Most Americans take in more protein than they need anyway,” Stella Volpe, president of the American College of Sports Medicine and a registered dietitian, previously told Fortune.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that nearly 60% of the U.S. population ages 1 and older eat more than the dietary protein recommendations.
“If you’re eating enough good quality food, you’ll be getting enough protein,” Amati previously told Fortune.
For more on protein:
